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“I’d love to get to the World Cup in 2019 and then, depending on how my body feels, I’ll come to a crossroads.

“It’s a bit of a long stretch to try and make the next Lions tour. I’d want to make sure physically I was at my best. I’m not sure how I am going to feel in four years.

“But obviously you’d love to go on another Lions tour . . . ”

Later Gatland praised his captain’s expert handling of the match officials.

This had culminated in Warburton persuading French ref Romain Poite to change his mind — having initially awarded the All Blacks a penalty in the 79th minute of the Third Test, which would almost certainly have won them the series.

Gatland said: “Sam did outstandingly well. After not being selected for the First Test, the way that he took that, he has been fantastic over the last two Tests.

“He has led well, spoken well and handled the officials incredibly well also.”

Warburton has made no secret of the fact he values the Lions above the Wales national side, no easy admission for a Welshman to make.

His red shirt from last weekend’s Second Test victory in Wellington will go up alongside a Lions jersey from Australia. The only two on display at his home.

But the unique nature of Lions tours, with the bonding together of players from rival home unions, means the captain’s man-management qualities are critical.

Asked what he’d said in his team talk before Saturday’s drawn decider, Warburton replied: “Those games bring out the biggest players and the toughest competitors.

“And that’s what we are all there for, that’s when the big boys step up. People ask me about pressure but I read a great quote from Michael Johnson which stuck with me.

“He said, ‘Pressure is just the shadow of great opportunity’. That’s how I see it.

“Don’t be afraid of what you could lose. Be excited about what you could achieve. You have got to be brave. When you get in the really big games you don’t want occasions to blur for players.

“You still want them to have a go, play with freedom and instinct.

“I probably didn’t say as much as I normally would before the match as I felt very emotional.
“You think of all sorts — my family, my little girl, my wife — you sacrifice time with them to get here. Little sacrifices like your diet, sleep, your lifestyle.

“When you’ve been committed for four years and you get to a Lions series, all that effort goes into one 80- minute game and you just want to do yourself justice.

“That’s where the pressure comes from internally. Those are all the things you think about before. You want to make your family, friends and fans proud.”

Warburton also offered an insight into his relationship with kickers Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly, who made five penalties out of five to earn a famous draw.

He said: “Owen has been brilliant. That takes a lot of courage.

“You can tell he has nerves of steel and you know he’s going to bang it over. There are certain guys you would like in the trenches when the chips are down. He is definitely one of those guys.

“When I look back on my career, I will be really pleased I managed to play with him.

“I trust those kicking boys and they know their range. When Elliot had his kick, I thought, ‘That is quite far and maybe we should go for the corner’. But Owen said, ‘Mate, Elliot has got this’.

“I took his word for it and as we jogged back Owen winked at me and said, ‘I told you so’.

“I trust them. If they say they’ve got it, they’ve got it.”

When it comes to the art of captaincy, Warburton has got it too.

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